Question Of The Day - Wednesday, December 9th!

Good morning! I've been doing snow removal duty. We were supposed to get 8 to 10 inches of snow last night....got about 6 (which is plenty!) Snow shoveling is slow going with back problems!

Here's today's Question Of The Day.

When do you 'officially' open your Christmas presents....Christmas Eve or Christmas day? Any family traditions surrounding Christmas presents?


When I was a little girl, all my Dad's sisters, their husbands and their kids (my cousins) would gather at Grandma's house on Christmas Eve for dinner. There were 12 grandchildren, so it was usually a fun, noisy and busy gathering. Some time during the evening, my dad and my uncles would have to 'run to the store' for something. All of the kids would be so busy playing, that nobody really noticed how long they were gone. I don't know how Santa planned it, but when we went home from Grandma's house, Santa had visited, and the Christmas tree would be all lit up, and all kinds of presents would be waiting for us when we got home! We always opened our presents late at night on Christmas Eve.

At my wife's home, the tradition was to decorate the tree Christmas Eve and open the presents Christmas morning, but only after everyone had finished breakfast.

I think every family has Christmas traditions. Another of theirs was to not put tags on gifts, but rather to just put the recipient's first initial. It got to be a game hiding it, sometimes only circling the proper letter in some text on the wrapping, or some such thing.

We have always opened gifts on Christmas day. When i was little we always had Christmas morning at my Granny's house....I don't know why it's just the way it was. Then when my parents got divorced we had Christmas twice. Once with my mom and then with my dad.


Now we do Christmas where ever we are at. No specific family traditions. Since I got married and we are a blended family our Christmas is different every year. This year we will not have the boys (my two stepsons) the youngest will have his gifts sent to him and the oldest will get his when he gets back in January. I guess this year we will have Christmas at our house with just me, hubby, my two daughters and Thor, Kiki, and possibly Whisper if he makes it here in time.

Originally Posted by Pookie-poo

Good morning! I've been doing snow removal duty. We were supposed to get 8 to 10 inches of snow last night....got about 6 (which is plenty!) Snow shoveling is slow going with back problems!

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Don't you know anyone who could help or has some kids they could put to work? (or pay a neighborhood kid)


We open gifts on Christmas day. First at the in-laws, then DH's grandmothers, then over to my dad's. We go in that order because DH and I have to go home as change after being at my dad's.

It varies each year...most of the time on Christmas day, but sometimes Christmas eve gets so boring that I just have to open presents

We were allowed ONE gift on Christmas eve, and it was always our new pajamas
When we were older (Id say 8&9 or so) we brokered a deal with my parents that we get free access to stockings upon waking on Christmas morning in exchange for them being allowed to sleep in until at least 8:30am lol

Christmas dinner has always been at my paternal Aunts house, and Ive really missed it the last few years Ive been here in Edmonton

Originally Posted by Februa

We were allowed ONE gift on Christmas eve, and it was always our new pajamas

When we were older (Id say 8&9 or so) we brokered a deal with my parents that we get free access to stockings upon waking on Christmas morning in exchange for them being allowed to sleep in until at least 8:30am lol

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Same with us

We are not doing any gifts other than small stockings this year for Christmas morning and instead are all helping a charity at Christmas so the usual stuff is going out the window

When I was younger we used to open one present each on Christmas Eve, but now all present get opened on Christmas Day.

we open on Christmas morning. When I lived at home my little sister would wake us all up at the crack of dawn to open them and then we would have breakfast. Since I live in my own place I get up and truck it on over there around 8-9 and open presents and then eat breakfast

Our trees are (usually) decorated over Thanksgiving weekend.

My husband and I open one gift on Christmas Eve, the rest on Christmas morning.

Dinner is either a stuffed crown roast of pork or a standing rib roast with Yorkshire pudding. No substitutions, either one or the other. Since our son is married with his own family, they come home either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day and that's when we do dinner.

When the kids come home for dinner on Christmas Eve, then on Christmas morning my husband and I have a nice brunch, just the two of us. When we don't do brunch, then he and I will just have homemade sticky buns and cookies with hot cocoa.

Christmas morning! Always!

I am sooooooooo excited for my first married Christmas with hubby, we are staying in for morning, and then going to his dads for dindin!

We open whenever we can all get together. Niece and nephew prefer to have Christmas mornings at their houses. We are flexible and have learned you can celebrate any holiday at any time.

Growing up, it was Christmas Eve with Dad's side of the family, Christmas Day was with Mom's side.

We open all of the gifts with my side of the family on Christmas Eve at my parents' house. My parents started doing this when I was still in school once we all stopped believing in Santa b/c my dad didn't like getting up on Christmas Morning. The only real tradition with gifts there is that we all sit in the same place every year, me by the fireplace, and all the gifts need to be handed out before anyone can start opening anything. The grandchildren hand out the gifts. This is at night and we are usually there until pretty late.

We (my husband, my son, and I) open our gifts to each other early Christmas Morning b/c we still do Santa. We probably will continue to do so even if we didn't b/c we have to get up anyway. We don't really have any traditions with gifts.

At about 9 or 10am that morning we go to hubby's parents' house for his side of the family to open gifts. Hubby's sister is usually the one that hands out the gifts, and the only tradition is that everyone must have at least one gift before anyone can start opening.

Between the in-laws and extended family (my parents divorced and both remarried), it seems like we are opening presents for like a week straight. I am not complaining, mind you, but I am the one in charge of hauling around all of the kids' loot!

When I was little my Mom would always have me open up a board game on Christmas Eve, and then we would spend the evening playing that. I'll be doing the same with my kids, probably starting next year.

We also listen to the Cinnamon Bear, which is a very old radio program that is to be listened to over the entire month of December. I the individual segments are maybe 15 minutes long. That is one carry-over from my wife's childhood.

Great thread!

Dave

Since it is just me and Hubby and the cats. We sleep in if we can That is is Chynna will let us. We exchange any presents between us. Then we eat breakfast even the cats.

Then we collect all that is needed to go into town and exchange presents at his moms house. This is loud and crazy and packed tight. Then we eat whatever food has been prepared for christmas dinner. I will take pictures of family and be everywhere. He generally gets with his brothers and sisters and families and talk about hunting or fishing or something.

Then we go over to my moms house or my neices house. Maybe my other brother will show up. There will be some more presents exchanged and then eat a late dinner or early supper.

Then we might meet up with some of his brothers and ride around looking at christmas lights. Generally just enjoying each other company and catching up with everybody. All and all a busy day for us.

These days, everything gets opened on Christmas day for my family. Josh and I do Christmas usually a couple days before since we both spend Christmas Eve/Christmas Day with out families.

As a kid, it was a bit different. We really didn't have "Santa" presents beyond age 6 or 7. So all or our (my brother and me) gifts were wrapped and my dad would label them with some sort of code so we wouldn't know whose were whose. Then on Christmas Eve he would tell us what the codes meant and we could each open one. The rest would be opened Christmas morning, .

I prefer to give my presents away before Christmas - this leaves less stuff for me to remember on Christmas day.

With my immediate family - varies between Christmas Eve/Christmas Day/Boxing Day

Boyfriend's family - Christmas morning

Dad's side of the family - Lunchtime Christmas Day and sometimes the week before too

Mum's side - no presents. Yay!

This year I've already given 3 presents away. My Nana's fan, My mum's book and Kieran's ipod cover.

Traditionally we open our presents on Christmas Eve in my family. (Sometimes we save one for Christmas day though.) We open stockings on Christmas day. This year my family and Jack's family are celebrating Christmas together on Christmas day at his mom's house.

Originally Posted by mrblanche

Christmas morning, but only after everyone had finished breakfast.

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... ...that´s cute and lovely!...